Electromagnetic device having encapsulated construction and precise positioning of bearing and shaft axes

ABSTRACT

An electromagnetic device, such has an electric motor, having a stator with a stator bore having a center axis that is precisely aligned with the center axes of the rotor and bearings supporting the rotor, self-broaching pins in endbells of the motor which align the stator bore with shaft openings of the endbells and radial spokes in the endbells that allow communication from the endbells into the stator enclosure to permit the injection of encapsulating resin into and through the endbells into the stator enclosure where the encapsulant permeates the stator assembly and secures the endbells to the stator.

This specification claims priority of Provisional Application Ser. No.60/068,768 filed on Dec. 23, 1997.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to the construction of an electromagneticdevice, such as an electric motor, having an encapsulated stator with astator bore having a center axis that is precisely aligned with thecenter axes of the rotor and bearings supporting the rotor by the methodfollowed in constructing the electromagnetic device.

BACKGROUND ON THE INVENTION

Current trends in the design of electromagnetic machines such as motorshave led to compact designs of high efficiency motors. The motor designshave obtained high output power to volume ratios through their use ofhigh magnetic flux density (or "high remanence") magnets on their rotorsand high density windings of their stators, increasing efficiency, andthrough optimized thermal design which increases the motor's ability todissipate losses.

With the reduction in size of these high efficiency motors the precisionwith which their components' parts are assembled becomes more important.Specifically, as the size of a motor becomes increasingly smaller, thesize and accuracy with which the air gap (which separates the exteriorsurface of its rotor from the interior surface of its stator) must besimilarly reduced in order to compare favorably to a larger model withsimilar performance characteristics. In addition, with decreasing motorsize, the tolerances of the bearings and their associated mountingdiameters, rotor shaft and stator bore center axes also decrease, andthe slightest misalignment can result in negative effects on motorperformance, in increased bearing wear which significantly decreases theoperational life of the motor or in contact of the rotating rotor withthe stator bore which prevents its proper functioning all together.

Compact high efficiency motors are constructed of basically the samecomponent parts typical to most motors, those being he stator, which isthe stationary electromagnetic component of the motor, the rotor, whichis the rotating electromagnetic component of the motor, and theendbells, which locate the rotor in relationship to the stator. Toachieve the necessary tolerances for the motor's compact size, each ofthe component parts of the motor must be machined and assembled withhigh accuracy relative to the other component parts of the motor. Thestator must be assembled in the motor housing shell and the motorhousing shell must be manufactured to align or register the center axesof the stator bore relative to the housing shell. The endbells aremachined with reference to the stator center bore By machining andassembling each of the component parts of the motor with reference tothe other component parts of the motor, the center axis of the rotor isclosely registered with the center axes of the bearings mounted in theendbells which, in turn, are registered with the center axis of thestator bore when the component parts are assembled in the motor. Theprecise machining and assembly of the motor component parts is necessaryto properly position the rotor in the stator bore and the rotor bearingsin the endbell bearing seats. The extremely precise machining andassembly of the motor component parts comprise a major portion of theexpense involved in manufacturing compact, high efficiency motors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an electromagnetic device, such as a motor,having component parts and a method of assembly that provide a motor ofcompact size which provides higher output performance and higherefficiency than similarly sized motors. The novel features of theinvention are in the constructions of its component parts and in theirmethod of assembly and, although described as applied to a motor, theymay also be applied to alternators and generators. The improvementsaccomplished by these specific design and manufacturing techniques givehigher torque density and improved thermal conductivity (allowing themotor to dissipate any losses more effectively). The design conceptsunder consideration here result in a device which is optimized tominimize cogging and torque ripple and provide uniform back EMF, whichCare significant contributors to output motion quality.

The motor of the invention is basically comprised of a stator assemblyconsisting of a wound stator core contained in a housing shell with apair of endbells attached to the opposite ends of the housing shell,impregnating resin or encapsulant, and a rotor assembly. The novelfeatures of the motor are in its component parts and the method in whichthey enclose the electromagnetic device, i.e., the stator and rotor ofthe motor. Therefore, the stator construction and rotor construction aredescribed in only general terms with it being understood thatalternative stator and rotor constructions may be employed with theinvention.

The stator is a segmented stator comprised of stacks of stator laminateswith each stack surrounded by an individual winding. Wound stacks arearranged in a circle in preparation for their being assembled with thehousing shell.

The housing shell is tubular having a hollow interior and openings tothe interior in opposite first and second end surfaces of the shell. Theinterior of the shell is machined to a precise diameter, and then theopposite first and second end surfaces are machined flat andperpendicular to the center axis of the shell interior. A series of pinholes is machined into each of the end surfaces of a specific depth tobe described below. The shell is heated, allowing it to expand slightly,and then is hot-dropped over the circular cluster of wound stator stacksin precise alignment to the orientation of the stacks. A printed circuitboard is then connected to the terminals of the stator windings and ispositioned so that it is adjacent the stator windings at the rear of thestator assembly.

Both the front and rear or first and second endbells are cast fromaluminum (although other materials may also be used). Steel bearingsupport rings are centered in the endbells as they are cast with alarger of the two bearing support rings being cast into the forward orfirst endbell. The endbells then receive basic machining creating aseries of fastener through holes and threaded holes, and creating matingsurfaces on the endbells having pilot holes machined therein. Steel pinsare inserted into the pilot holes.

The endbells are positioned so that they are adjacent the opposite firstand second end surfaces of the housing shell with tie front end bellpositioned adjacent to the first end surface and the rear end bellpositioned adjacent to the second end surface. The endbell center axisesare aligned with the axis of the stator bore, with the steel shear pinsclosely related with the matching pilot holes drilled into the housingshell. The end bells are then pressed into position over the first andsecond end surfaces of the housing shell with the end bell pinsbroaching into the pin holes of the shell end surfaces providing aprecise and tolerance independent fit of the end bells over the oppositefirst and second end surfaces of the housing shell. The depth of thereceiving holes in the housing shell is such there will be sufficientspace at the bottom of the drilled hole to receive the shavings producedby the broaching process. The pins resist relative shear and torsionalforces between the endbells and the housing shell. Bolts are insertedthrough the through holes in the front endbell and are screwed into afastener threaded holes in the rear endbell in order to further securein tension the endbells on the opposite end surfaces of the housingshell.

A removable core fixture assembly is inserted through a shaft opening ofone of the endbell bearing support rings, through the stator bore, andthrough the shaft opening in the opposite endbell bearing support ringin preparation for injection of the encapsulant. An impregnating resinor encapsulant is then injected through one or more of the series ofinjection openings in one of the endbells. The encapsulant flows axiallythrough the stator assembly permeating the stator core and the endbellsuntil it passes through the injection venting openings of the oppositeendbell. The core assembly excludes this material from the bore andbearing regions of the stator assembly. The encapsulant is cured and thecore and associated fixturing are removed.

The rent or first end bell's bearing bore is then machined in the steelbearing support ring cast into the front endbell. The front bearing boreis machined with its center axis referenced from or coaxially alignedwith the center axis of the stator bore and axially referenced from thefront of the stator wound core assembly. Either simultaneously or in asubsequent operation, the rear bearing bore is machined in the steelbearing support ring cast into the rear endbell. The rear bearing borediameter is referenced from the stator bore diameter.

Front and rear retainer features are then machined into the front andrear end bells, machined concentrically to and referenced from thestator bore center axis. The axial locations of these features arereferenced from or are in register with the axial depth of the frontbearing bore.

The rotor is comprised of a one piece magnetic steel rotor shaft andcore combination having a series of magnetic rings bonded on itsexterior. Ball bearings are pressed to precise locations on the oppositeends of the rotor shaft at opposite ends of the magnet rings with thebearing on the rear end of the shaft having a smaller diameter thaneither the bearing on the front end of the shaft or the magnet ring, andwith the bearing on the front end of the shaft having a larger diameterthan that of the rotor core which, for example, may be comprised of theouter diametral surface of the magnet ring.

The rotor is held in precise alignment with the stator assembly andinserted into the stator by first inserting the rearward end of therotor with its smaller bearing through the larger bearing bore at thefront endbell of the rotor. The rearward end of the shaft and itssmaller bearing pass through the stator bore until the rear bearing ispositioned adjacently to the bearing bore in the rear endbell and thefront bearing is positioned adjacently to the bearing bore in the frontendbell. The rotor is then pressed into place with a press fit of theouter race of the front bearing in its housing and with a transitionalor close slip fit of the rear bearing in its housing. The front bearingis pressed into the bearing support ring in the front endbell until itengages against the annular shoulder formed in the bearing support ring.A front bearing retainer device is then installed at the front of thelarger bearing to help prevent long-term creepage. A bearing preloadspring is then placed over the rear end of the rotor shaft and againstthe outer race of the rear bearing. The rear bearing retainer is thenplaced over the rear end of the shaft and against the preload spring andis secured to the rear endbell. The rear retainer is positioned in anannular seat that has been precisely machined in axial relation to thefront bearing seat, resulting in the virtual elimination of variation inbearing preloading due to tolerance stark up. The rear bearing retainerbore is machined to precise concentricity with the stator bore in orderto allow the accurate location of feedback devices relative to the rotorand stator assemblies.

The construction of the motor and its method of assembly maintainsprecision positioning of the rotor at the center of the stator bore witha uniform air gap between the stator bore interior surface and the rotorexterior surface and with the rotor center axis precisely aligned withthe center axis of the stator bore as well as the center axes of therotor bearings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features of the invention will be discussed in the followingdetailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and inthe drawing figures wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing the housing shell and front and rearendbells of the motor enclosure of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but with the motor turned 180°;

FIGS. 3A-3C are various views of the front endbell;

FIG. 4 is a partially sectioned perspective view of the front endbell;

FIGS. 5A-5C are various views of the rear endbell;

FIG. 6 is a partially sectioned perspective view of the rear endbell;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are front arid rear views, respectively, of the rearretainer cap;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of the housing shell containing thestator;

FIG. 9 is a side-sectioned view of the motor enclosure containing astator prior to encapsulant injection and machining;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 after encapsulant injection andafter the front and rear endbell hearing bores and rear retainer capseat have been machined;

FIG. 11 is an exploded view showing the component parts employed inassembling the rotor assembly into the motor, with a representativefeedback device shown for illustrative purposes (although other deviceswill be used as well);

FIG. 12 is a section view taken in a plane along the line 12--12 of FIG.11 which shows the method by which the endbells are secured to thestator assembly, with a representative feedback device included forclarity, similarly to FIG. 11; and

FIG. 13 is a side-section view of the completed motor assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows the three primary component parts that make up theenclosure of the motor construction of the invention, those being ahousing shell 10, a first or front endbell 12, and a second or rearendbell 14. The front endbell 12 is the one through which the driveshaft of the motor projects. The labels "front" and "rear" are used forreference only and are not intended to have any limiting meaning.

The housing shell 10 is a rough-form aluminum extrusion having acylindrical interior surface 16. Four drilled holes 18 pass through thehousing shell to allow threaded fasteners to be passed through theshell. The shell has opposite first 20 and second 22 end surfaces thatare machined, flat surfaces perpendicular to the center axis 24 of theshell. Four pin holes 26 are machined into each of the first 20 andsecond 22 end surfaces of the shell. Each of the pin holes 26 extend aset distance into the aluminum of the shell from the first and secondend surfaces 20, 22, but do not extend entirely through the shell.

The shell exterior surface 28 has a generally cylindrical configurationwith additional material present where necessary to conform toagency-standard form factors and to enclose and protect thethrough-bolts and shear pins as described above, resulting in thepreferred embodiment in a generally rectangular arrangement with amounting screw clearance region at each of the four corners.

The first or front endbell 12 is comprised of cast metal with a steelbearing support ring 32 cast into the center of the endbell. Severalviews of the front endbell 12 are shown in FIGS. 1, 3A-3C and 4. Asshown in FIG. 3A, the bearing support ring 32 has a cylindrical interiorsurface 34 that defines a shaft opening with a center axis 36. Thisinterior surface 34 will later be machined to receive a ball bearingassembly. The cast endbell 12 has axially opposite exterior 38 andinterior 40 surfaces, with the interior surface being machined flat andperpendicular to the center axis 36. The bearing support ring protrudesforward of the leading surface of the endbell to form the basis of themounting boss as well as a locating feature for an optional seal. Fourbolt holes 46 are machined through the endbell between its exterior 38and interior 40 surfaces to receive threaded bolts that extend throughthe endbell, through the drilled holes 18 of the shell housing, and intothreaded holes in the rear or second endbell 14 (yet to be described) tohold the two endbells to the opposite end surfaces of the housing shell.Four additional fastener holes 48 are cast in place in the front endbell12 to receive fasteners used in mounting the motor to another device.Four pin holes 50 are machined into the endbell interior surface 40 atspatially arranged positions corresponding to the positions of the pinholes 26 formed in the first end surface 20 of the housing shell. Likethe pin holes in the housing shell, the pin holes 50 in the endbell donot extend entirely through the endbell but only to a set depth belowthe interior surface 40. Steel pins 52 are inserted into these tour pinholes 50. The pins 52 have a predetermined length such that a specificlength of the pin will protrude a set distance past the interior surface40 when they are fully inserted into the pin holes 50, and havediameters that are slightly larger than that of the pin holes. Thesepins will have a rounded or chamfered edge on one end which inserts intothe endbell while having a sharp edge at the other end to enable the pinto broach into the shell material. The length of the pins 52 leftprojecting from the endbell interior surface 40 are determined so thatthey will not reach to the bottoms of the pin holes 26 in the housingshell first end surface 20. The pin holes 26 in the shell end surfacehave a depth that is greater than the exposed length of the pins 52 sothat there is room in the end surface pin holes 26 to receive thematerial broached from the interior sidewalls of the pin holes as thepins are inserted. As the pins 52 are inserted into the pin holes 26,their leading edges broach the interior surface of the pin holes 26cutting away material from the surface and pushing it into the remainingdepth of the pin holes 26. In this manner, the pins 52 are securely heldin their respective pin holes 26.

Referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the first or front endbell 12is cast with a series of axially spaced spokes or spines 54, 56connecting a center portion 58 of the endbell surrounding the bearingsupport ring 32 to an exterior portion 60 of the endbell. Large portionsof the spokes 54 are positioned adjacently to the exterior surface 38 ofthe endbell where the other spokes 56 are axially spaced away from theendbell exterior surface 38 and are positioned more toward the endbellinterior surface 40. The circumferential and axial spacing of the spokes54, 56 creates injection openings 62 in the endbell exterior surface 38that communicate with injection passageways 64 that pass axially betweenthe spokes 54, 56. These injection openings 62 and passageways 64 areemployed to allow an impregnating resin or encapsulant to permeatethrough the endbell surrounding the spokes 56 and securing the endbell12 in the encapsulant as it cures, which will be described later.

The second or rear endbell 14 is constructed in a similar manner to thatof the first or front endbell 12 and component pants of the rear endbell14 corresponding to those of the front endbell 12 are labeled with thesame reference numbers followed by a prime ('). Because the constructionof the rear endbell 14 is similar to that of the front endbell 12, itwill not be described in detail. However, the construction of the rearendbell 14 differs from that of the front endbell 12 in that the rearsteel bearing support ring 66 is smaller than the front bearing supportring 32 and its interior surface 68 defines a smaller shaft opening thanthat of the front bearing support ring. The rear bearing support ring 66has a center axis 70. Also, the rear endbell 14 is not machined withthrough bolt holes 46, but with internally threaded bolt holes 72 thatextend into the rear endbell 14 from its interior surface 40' but do notextend entirely through the rear endbell. The internally threaded boltholes 72 are spatially arranged on the rear endbell interior surface 40'to correspond to the positions of the through bolt holes 46 of the frontendbell 12 and to receive threaded bolts inserted through the frontendbell bolt holes 46 when attaching the two endbells to the oppositeend surfaces of the housing shell 10 as will be described. The rearendbell does not possess fastener holes or the associated shape, butrather has a swept surface which provides maximum bell strength alongwith cosmetic appeal. A rear bearing retainer annular seat surface 44'find retainer cap fastener holes 42' allow the placement of the rearbearing retainer (to be described later). Apart from these differences,the rear endbell 14 is constructed with opposite exterior and interiorsurfaces 38', 40', pin holes 50', and steel pins 52', circumferentiallyand radially spaced spokes 54', 56', connecting a center portion 58' ofthe endbell with an exterior portion 60' and defining injection openings62' and injection passages 64' just as in the construction of the frontendbell 12.

A rear retainer cap 90 is shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. The rear retainercap has a circular exterior surface 92, an opposite interior surface 94and a cylindrical side surface. 96. A center shaft opening 98 passesthrough the rear retainer cap and has a center axis 100. The exteriorsurface 92 is registered perpendicular with the center axis 100 and theside surface 96 is registered with the center axis 100 a predetermineddistance and is also parallel with the center axis, enabling theplacement of the retainer to be held precisely enough to allow it toserve as the mounting for the motor's feedback device. Four mountingscrew locating recesses 102 project radially inward from the sidesurface 96 and receive threaded fasteners used in attaching the rearretainer cap 90 to the rear endbell 14. An extra pair of holes 106 passthrough the rear retainer cap 90. These extra holes 106 have enlargedrecesses where they emerge from the cap interior surface 94. Theenlarged recesses enable a pair of screws 107 to be inserted through theholes 106 with the heads of the screws received in the enlarged recessesand with the lengths of the screws projecting from the holes outwardlyfrom the exterior surface 92 of the cap. These projecting screws may beemployed in attaching an external device to the retainer cap, forexample in attaching an encoder assembly 109 to the retainer cap such asthat shown in FIG. 11.

The component parts of the motor enclosure described to this pointtogether with an impregnating resin or encapsulant, and the method bywhich they are assembled together with a stator assembly and rotorassembly of the motor make up the subject matter of the invention. Thestator assembly construction and the rotor assembly construction of theillustrative embodiment may be varied, as the motor enclosure of theinvention and its method of construction may be employed with variousdifferent types of stator assemblies and rotor assemblies. Therefore,the stator assembly and rotor assembly of the illustrative embodimentwill only be described generally.

The stator 108 is a segmented stator comprised of nine stacks (used asan example, although other numbers of stacks will also be used in othervariants of this motor), of stator laminates 110. Individual laminates110 can be seen in FIG. 8. Each laminate has a general T-shape with ahead portion extending across its top and a pole extending downwardlyfrom the head as is common in many segmented stator constructions. Eachstack of laminates is insulated with insulator endcaps 112 positioned atopposite ends of the stack (see FIG. 9) and with film insulation slotliners 114 positioned along the opposite sides of the stack (see FIG.8). Alternatively, the tooth stacks may be insulated by overmolding thepart with plastic formed such that the same purpose served by the slotliners and endcaps, described above, is met. The rear endcap 112 has apair of terminals (not shown) inserted into the molded plastic of theendcap. Each insulated lamination stack is precision wound with ahigh-density wire coil 116 with the opposite end of each wire coil beingterminated on one of the two terminals projecting from the rear endcap.The wound laminate stacks are assembled into a circle, engaging matingtongue and groove connections on the opposite ends of the laminate headsof the stacks in preparation for their being assembled with the housingshell. The stacks are arranged such that the forward surfaces of allstacks are coplanar. The stator center bore 118 is finished when thelaminate stacks are assembled in the circle, meaning that no machiningof the stator bore 118 is needed.

The housing shell 10 is rapidly heated, causing the interior diameter ofthe shell to expand slightly, and is then dropped while still hot overthe circular cluster of wound tooth stacks. The forward surface of theshell 10 will be aligned with the coplanar surfaces of the tooth stacks,resulting in a single planar surface, and the radial orientation of theshell in relation to the tooth stack cluster is precisely controlled.The shell 10 engaging around the cluster of wound stator stacks acts tohold the stacks in their circular arrangement with no welds requiredbetween the stacks or between the individual laminates. FIG. 8 shows thehousing shell 10 surrounding the nine laminate stacks (for example,although other numbers will be used in variants of the design). Aprinted wiring board (not shown) is then connected to the pairs ofterminals of each of the stator windings and is positioned adjacentlythe stator windings in the rear end of the housing shell.

The endbells 12, 14 are positioned adjacently to the opposite first andsecond end surfaces 20, 22, respectively, of the housing shell with thebearing bores of either endbell precisely aligned with the bore of thestator, and the pins 52 projecting from the front endbell 12 beinggenerally aligned with the pin holes 26 in the housing shell first endsurface 20 and the pins 52' projecting from the rear endbell 14 beinggenerally aligned with the pin holes 26 in the housing shell second endsurface 22. The endbells 12, 14 are then pressed into position over thefirst 20 and second 22 end surfaces of the housing shell with the pinsbroaching into the pin holes of the shell end surfaces pushing materialof the housing shell cut away from the interior surfaces of the pinholes 26 to the unused depth of the pin holes as described earlier. Thisstep provides a precise and tolerance independent fit of the endbellsover the opposite first and second end surfaces of the housing shellthat would not be possible with fasteners inserted through the boltholes 46 of the front endbell 12 which are dimensioned slightly largerthan the fasteners they accommodate permitting some relative sheer andtorsional movement of the front endbell 12 relative to the fasteners andthe housing shell 10. Tie pins resist relative sheer and torsionalforces between the endbells and the housing shell and hold the endbellsin precisely registered positions relative to the housing shell and thestator contained in the shell. This assembly method enables bearingbores and a retainer cap seat to be later machined into the endbells inprecisely registered positions relative to the stator bore center axis.Threaded bolts 120 are then inserted through the bolt holes 46 in thefront endbell 12, through the housing shell channels 18 and are threadedand tightened into the internally threaded bolt holes 72 in the rearendbell 14, securely holding the two endbells to the opposite endsurfaces of the housing shell and providing additional resistance tosheer and torsional movement of the endbells relative to the housingshell.

A removable core (not shown) is then inserted through the shaft openingof the larger of the endbell bearing support rings, through the statorbore 118, and through the shaft opening in the opposite endbell supportring in preparation for injection of the impregnating resin encapsulant.The impregnating resin is then injected through one or more of theinjection openings 62' in the rear endbell 14. The resin surrounds thespokes 54' as it passes through the injection passages 64' of the rearendbell and flows axially through the stator assembly except for thestator bore which is occupied by the core. Injecting the resin axiallythrough the endbells and stator facilitates its permeating the openvoids of the stator. The injection of the resin is continued until itpasses around the spokes 54 of the front endbell 12 and passes out ofthe enclosure through the injection openings 62 of the front endbell,thus filling all of the open voids in the stator and the endbells. Theencapsulating resin is then cured.

Following curing, the core is removed and any cured encapsulantprojecting from the injection openings 62, 62' of the two endbells isremoved giving the exterior surfaces of the two endbells a smoothappearance. At this point in the motor's construction, it appears asshown in FIG. 10 with the cured encapsulant 122 filling all open voidsin the stator assembly with only the stator bore 18, the rear shaftopening defined by the rear bearing support ring surface 68 and thefront shaft opening defined by the front bearing support ring surface 34being devoid of encapsulant. The stator bore 118 has a cylindricalinterior surface defined by the end surfaces 124 of the stacked laminatepoles and the cured encapsulant 122 surrounding these end surfaces.

As shown in FIG. 10, the front bearing bore 126 is then machined intothe steel bearing support ring cast into the front endbell. The frontbearing bore is machined with its center axis 128 referenced from orcoaxially aligned with the center axis 130 of the stator bore.Simultaneously, or in a subsequent operation, the rear bearing bore 132is machined into the steel bearing support ring cast into the rearendbell. The rear bearing bore center axis 134 is referenced from thefront bearing bore axis 128.

Front bearing retainer ring groove 135 and rear retainer seat 136 arethen machined into the endbells. Both details are machined concentric toand referenced from the stator bore center axis 130. The depths to whichthese details are machined into the respective front and rear endbellsare referenced from or are in register with the stator bore enter axisand the axial depth of the front bearing bore.

FIG. 11 illustrates the assembly of the rotor 138 into the stator andthe motor enclosure. The rotor is comprised of a magnetic steel rotorshaft 140 having a series of magnetic rings 142 bonded on its exterior.Ball bearings 144, 146 are pressed onto fixed positions on the oppositeends of the rotor shaft at opposite ends of the magnet rings with thebearing 146 on the rear end 150 of the shaft being smaller than thebearing 144 on the front end 148 of the shaft. The larger bearing mustbe located on the end of the shaft which is expected to see the greatestradial load.

The rotor 138 is inserted into the stator by first inserting therearward end 150 of the rotor with its smaller bearing 146 through thelarger bearing bore 126 at the front endbell of the rotor. The rearwardend l50 of the shaft and its smaller nearing are guided through thestator bore 118 until the rear bearing 46 is positioned adjacent to thebearing bore 132 in the rear endbell and the front bearing 144 ispositioned adjacent to the bearing bare 126 in the front endbell. Therear bearing 146 is then located into the machined bearing support ring66 in the rear endbell and the front bearing 144 is simultaneouslypressed into the machined bearing support ring 32 in the front endbelluntil it engages against the annular shoulder 152 formed in the bearingsupport ring.

The front bearing retainer device 74 is then placed over the forward end148 of the rotor shaft and is seated against the front bearing outerrace and within the beveled groove 135. An optional shaft seal 162 mayalso be inserted into the support ring 32. A bearing preload spring 156is then placed over the rear end 150 of the rotor shaft and against theouter race of the rear bearing 146. The rear bearing retainer cap 90 isthen placed over the rear end 150 of the shaft and against the preloadspring 156 and is secured to the rear endbell by screws 158. The rearretainer cap 90 is positioned in the machined annular seat 136 that isprecisely located in relation to the front bearing bore 126, resultingin the virtual elimination of variation in bearing preloading due totolerance stack up. The completed motor is shown in FIG. 13.

The method of machining described here enables the rear bearing retainerdetails to be kept parallel and perpendicular to the axis of the statorsore, allowing the rear bearing retainer to be used to accurately mountfeedback devices.

The construction of the motor and its method of assembly maintainsprecision positioning of the rotor at the center of the stator bore witha uniform air gap 160 between the stator bore interior surface and therotor exterior surface and with the rotor center axis precisely alignedwith the center axis of the stator bore 130 as well as the center axes128, 132 of the rotor bearings.

While the present invention has been described by reference to aspecific embodiment, it should be understood that modifications andvariations of the invention may be constructed without departing fromthe scope of the invention defined in the following claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A housing for an electric motor comprising:ametallic shell having an axial length with opposite first and second endsurfaces and first and second openings in the first and second endsurfaces; first and second endbells covering over the first and secondshell end surfaces, respectively, the first and second endbells eachhaving a shaft opening aligned with the fist and second end surfaceopenings, respectively, and the first and second endbells each having atleast one secondary opening through each endbell; a body of resinencapsulant contained inside the shell and extending into the secondaryopenings of the first and second endbells and thereby holding the firstand second endbells to the first and second shell and surfaces,respectively; and a stator is contained in the shell, the shell engagesin a tight fit around the stator and the encapsulant permeates thestator.
 2. The housing of claim 1, wherein:the body of encapsulant ismonolithic.
 3. The housing of claim 1, wherein:a stator bore passesthrough the stator and aligns with the shaft openings of the first andsecond endbells and the encapsulant is absent from the stator bore andthe shaft openings of the first and second endbells.
 4. The housing ofclaim 3, wherein:the stator bore and the shaft openings of the first andsecond endbells are coaxial.
 5. The housing of claim 1, wherein:thesecondary openings of the first and second endbells are aligned with theshell first and second openings, respectively.
 6. The housing of claim1, wherein:there are at Least a pair of secondary openings in each ofthe first and second endbells arranged on opposite sides of the shaftopenings.
 7. The housing of claim 1, wherein:the encapsulant is entirelycontained inside the shell and the first and second endbells except forexposed portions of the encapsulant in the secondary openings.
 8. Thehousing of claim 1, wherein:the first and second endbells each have atleast one spoke that projects radially from the shaft opening and theencapsulant extends around the spoke.
 9. The housing of claim 1,wherein:the first and second endbells each have axially oppositeexterior and interior surfaces with the secondary openings passingthrough the endbells between the exterior and interior surfaces, theinterior surfaces of the first and second endbells engage against thefirst and second end surfaces of the shell, respectively, and theencapsulant occupies the secondary openings between the exterior andinterior of each of the endbells.
 10. The housing of claim 1, wherein:astator is contained in the shell and a stator bore passes through thestator, the stator bore has a center axis that is coaxial with centeraxes of the first and second endbell shaft openings, a cap is securedover the shaft opening of he second endbell, and the cap has an exteriorsurface that is perpendicular to the stator bore center axis.
 11. Tiehousing of claim 1, wherein:a stator is contained in the shell and astator bore passes through the stator, the stator bore has a center axisthat is coaxial with center axes of the first and second endbell shaftopenings, a cap is secured over the shaft opening of the second endbell,and the cap has an exterior surface that is parallel to the stator borecenter axis.
 12. A housing for an electric motor comprising:a shellhaving an axial length with opposite first and second end surfaces andfirst and second openings in the first and second end surfaces,respectively, each end surface having at least one pin hole; first andsecond endbells, each of the endbells having at least one pin projectingfrom the endbell with the pin projecting from the first endbellextending into the pin hole in the shell first end surface positivelylocating the first endbell on the first end surface and the pinprojecting from the second endbell extending into the pin hole in theshell second end surface positively locating the second endbell on thesecond end surface; the pin hole in the first end surface has a lengthfrom the first end surface to a bottom of the pin hole and the pin holein the second end surface has a length from the second end surface to abottom of the pin hole; and the pin projecting from the first endbellhaving a length that is shorter than the length of the pin hole in thefirst end surface and the pin projecting from the second endbell havinga length that is shorter than the length of the pin hole in the secondend surface.
 13. The housing of claim 12, wherein:each pin has a distaledge from its endbell that is adapted to cut into and remove shavingsfrom its pin hole as it is inserted into its pin hole.
 14. The housingof claim 12, wherein:the first and second endbells each have fastenerholes that are separate from the pin holes.
 15. The housing of claim 12,wherein:there are at least two pins projecting from each of the firstand second endbells and at least two pin holes in each of the shellfirst and second end surfaces.
 16. A housing for an electric motorcomprising:a shell having an axial length with opposite first and secondend surfaces and first and second openings in the first and second endsurfaces, respectively, each end surface having at least one pin hole;first and second endbells, each of the endbells having at least one pinprojecting from the endbell with the pin projecting from the firstendbell extending into the pin hole in the shell first end surfacepositively locating the first endbell on the first end surface and thepin projecting from the second endbell extending into the pin hole inthe shell second end surface positively locating the second endbell onthe second end surface; the pin projecting from the first endbell havingan exterior diameter that is larger than an interior diameter of the pinhole in the first end surface and the pin projecting from the secondendbell having an exterior diameter that is larger than an interiordiameter of the pin hole in the second end surface.
 17. The housing ofclaim 16, wherein:each pin has a distal edge from its endbell that isadapted to cut into and remove shavings from its pin hole as it isinserted into its pin hole.
 18. The housing of claim 16, wherein:thefirst and second endbells each have fastener holes that are separatefrom the pin holes.
 19. The housing of claim 16, wherein:there are atleast two pins projecting from each of the first and second endbells andat least two pin holes in each of the shell first and second endsurfaces.
 20. An electric motor comprising:a segmented stator formedfrom a plurality of stacks of stator pole laminates; a housing shell hotdropped over the segmented stator engaging in a tight fit around thestator and holding the plurality of stacks of stator pole laminatestogether, the housing shell having an axial length with opposite firstand second end surfaces and first and second openings in the first andsecond end surfaces; first and second endbells covering over the firstand second shell end surfaces, respectively, the first and secondendbells each having a shaft opening aligned with the first and secondend surface openings, respectively, and the first and second endbellseach having at least one secondary opening; and a body of encapsulantcontained inside the shell permeating the segmented stator and extendinginto the secondary openings of the first and second endbells.
 21. Anelectric motor comprising:a segmented stator formed from a plurality ofstacks of stator pole laminates; a housing shell hot dropped over thesegmented stator engaging in a tight fit around the stator and holdingthe plurality of stacks of stator pole laminates together, the housingshell having an axial length with opposite first and second end surfacesand first and second openings in the first and second end surfaces,respectively, each end surface having at least one pin hole; first andsecond endbells, each of the endbells having at least one pin projectingfrom the endbell with the pin projecting from the first endbellextending into the pin hole in the shell first end surface positivelylocating the first endbell on the first end surface and the pinprojecting from the second endbell extending into the pin hole in theshell second end surface positively locating the second endbell on thesecond end surface.